So the Tri-Valley sophomore was in his element when he stepped onto the mat Wednesday night. The Schuylkill League Division I dual meet between the Dawgs and Pine Grove was tied, and Bordner bumped to 120 to meet freshman Troy Lengle.

The dual meet and the Division I championship came down to one bout.

Bordner delivered again.

Rolling to a technical fall victory, Bordner put the Dawgs over the top 32-27 in front of a packed Senior Night crowd in Hegins.

"I really wanted to do it for our seniors ... and do it for the whole team and get the job done,'' Bordner said. "I had the pressure on me. I knew what I had to do.

"Honestly, I think I do better with pressure on me.''

A state placewinner last season, Bordner (28-7) was the overwhelming favorite against Lengle (6-9). He scored four takedowns and three sets of back points to post an 18-2 technical fall in 5:32.

With just nine healthy wrestlers recently and 10 for much of the season, Tri-Valley (10-3, 5-1 D-I) still found a way to capture its first division dual-meet championship since 2004.

Blue Mountain (16-7, 5-1) took care of its business Wednesday night, defeating North Schuylkill 50-27, but the Eagles' run of eight straight Division I titles ended because the Dawgs held the head-to-head edge.

The victory over Pine Grove, though, didn't come without some anxious moments for Tri-Valley. In the second period, Bordner had to take injury time for his arm, but he pressed forward to finish the job.

At 132, freshman Chase Schaeffer (25-7) escaped with 55 seconds left in regulation and held on for a 5-4 win over Ryan Heim (24-9).

At 138, Hunter Harner (29-8) took injury time after getting the first takedown, yet went on to a 6-2 decision over Jared McCabe (22-9).

At 145, state qualifiers Blake Bowman (29-6) and Eli Brill (28-4) locked up in a rematch of the Schuylkill League Tournament final, which Bowman won 6-4.

Brill came out aggressively, but Bowman converted two takedowns for a 5-2 lead late in the second period. Brill then came down on top for a takedown, and a leg injury forced Bowman to take injury time twice and bow by injury default in 3:56. The severity of the injury wasn't immediately known, but Bowman was walking and putting weight on the leg after the meet.

And at 182, Lyle Troutman (27-6) got everything he could handle from Guy Zimmerman (28-7), who bumped up a weight. Zimmerman led 3-2 after two periods. In the third, Troutman reversed with 31 seconds left, Zimmerman answered with a reversal with seven seconds remaining, and Troutman reversed again at the buzzer in a frantic flurry to win 6-5.

At 152, Anthony Snyder (26-11) added key bonus points for the Dawgs with a first-period fall.

Minersville and Tri-Valley senior Ty Schoffstall (23-2) was on the bench again in street clothes as he recovers from an injury suffered Jan. 19 at the league tournament.

"It wasn't all pretty, but they got the job done,'' Tri-Valley co-head coach Ty Rothermel said. "It's been a tough battle all year long.''

Tri-Valley won the pre-meet coin flip, and that enabled the Dawgs to set the matchups they wanted. They outscored Pine Grove 20-9 in contested bouts.

For the Cardinals (12-9, 2-4), their lack of depth hurt as well. Twice - at 160 and 113 - neither team put a wrestler on the mat.

"We didn't get the flip we wanted, but they all went out after it and they were aggressive,'' Pine Grove coach Jack Drey said. "At this point in the year, for us, we're looking at the postseason, and I think every one of them showed they have the ability to maybe do something.

"... Hopefully this will be a confidence builder and they'll realize that we can wrestle with some of the better kids.''

Both teams will now turn their attention to the District 11 Class AA Tournament, set for Feb. 22-23 in Bethlehem. Tri-Valley will enter with the momentum of a Schuylkill League Division I championship.

"It's a credit to the kids because all year long, even when Ty's in the lineup, when you talk to them prior to the match, our core group, we couldn't coach them to win, we had to coach them to pin,'' Rothermel said. "Every time they stepped on the mat.

"... For them to continue to respond match after match after match in that type of atmosphere,'' he added, "I can't say enough about their character.''

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